Tsourekia!!

Easter does not feel the same if you don't make some tsoureki (sweet buns) at home. This year I tried a new recipe from o chef that has recently become my favorite, because his recipes are easy and hard to fail.

Ingredients

Part 1:

• 100 gr bread flour (strong, at least 13 gr of protein per 100 gr)
• 50 gr fresh yeast
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 150 ml water in room temperature

We mix all these ingredients together and our bowl rest in a very warm place or just turn the oven on at 100°C for one minute, then turn it off and put the bowl in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Part 2:

• 680 gr strong flour
• 280 gr sugar
• 150 ml water
• 2 medium eggs (50-53 gr per egg)
• 130 gr melted butter
• 2 gr mastic (optional, I didn't have any)
• 1 tsp mahlab (I used powdered)
• 1/2 cardamom (I also used powdered)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• zest from 1 orange
• 1 vanilla

Once the mixture from the first bowl has risen, we add all the ingredients but the flour and butter and start mixing well. Then we add the flour in small batches until we have a firm dough. The butter comes last, little by little as we knead the dough until it absorbs all of it. Just be careful, the melted butter needs to be cooled down, if it's too hot the yeast will be destroyed and the dough won't rise.

The dough needs to rest in a very warm place, alternatively in the oven after you have repeated the same procedure you followed for the first mixture, remembering to regularly turn the oven on and off to keep it warm enough.

For the topping:

• 1 egg (which I mixed with a tbsp of vegetable oil)
• sesame or almond flakes

When ready, knead just a little more and shape in braids. Wash with the egg mixture and sprinkle some sesame seeds or almond flakes (or nothing if you wish). Let your braided buns rest for another 10 minutes, they will rise some more. Bake in a preheated oven at 170-180°C for about 40 minutes.

Don't forget to use some baking paper, it will save you from washing dirty baking trays and will "hold" each tsoureki in its place, as they tend to "expand" in the oven.

I made the double dose which gave me seven medium tsourekia. Two already found their place in the freezer cut in halves and wrapped in food membrane, three were given as presents and one... filled our stomachs!

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^{Original content by @ruth-girl - All images taken by @ruth-girl with smartphone Moto G22 - All rights reserved}